


The Name's Crutchie

by Enjolr_ass



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Adorable, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-10
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-04-20 00:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4767506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enjolr_ass/pseuds/Enjolr_ass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short story where Crutchie gets soaked by the Delanceys, Jack finds him and fluff ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will probably be part of a larger story soon but here it is as a standalone fic. Might get another chapter if anyone comments.

It was a slow day; Crutchie hugged his remaining papes to his chest as he walked the streets of Manhattan. He readjusted his crutch and walked a little quicker. The streets were soaked from the rain yesterday. He could see the remains of sodden papes lying in the gutter. It took a while to move his thirty papes yesterday with no one on the streets that had any sense and with the trying task of keeping them dry enough to sell. It had been a hard day and many a newsie had lost their money buying papes only to have them soaked into pulp. but no newsie went hungry. No matter how hard it was no newsie was left hungry or without a place to stay. They’d scrape together money and whatever they could. The newsies may not be a union but they looked out for each other.  
  
The sky growled and continued to darken, it was obvious that there was going to be a repeat of the previous day. Crutchie looked around, before ducking into the alleyway between Perry and Charles Street. He hobbled through, his crutch striking against the cobbled ground. The wind cut through his shirt and ruffled his hair. Then he heard footsteps behind him. Splashing in the puddles that accumulated in the abundant divots that covered the ground. The soft snickers and snide comments echoed against the walls of the alley. The Delancy brothers, Crutchie ignored them and walked a little faster.  
  
“Hey! Gimpy!” Oscar’s obnoxious voice bounced off the walls and it made the hairs on the back of Crutchie’s neck stand on end. He kept his head down, not slowing his pace, when he felt his crutch being kicked out from underneath him. His legs buckled underneath him and he fell, along with the rest of his papes.  
  
“Didn’t you hear him calling you, Crip?” Morris sneered. Shaking without his crutch, he pulled himself back up.  
  
“Come on, we’ve been through this,” Crutchie replied, leaning against his crutch again, “the name’s Crutchie, you lousy shrimp.” The next thing Crutchie felt was Morris’ hand connecting with his face, throwing him against the alley wall. His head hit the bricks with a sickening thump and he fell to the ground, he felt the regret of ever saying those words in every bone in his body as frantically grabbed for his crutch but it was pulled out of his hands. Oscar stood above him, wielding the wooden crutch like a weapon.  
  
“Soak him.” Came Oscars’ voice, Crutchie could almost hear him smirking as he curled up tightly against the wall. Morris’ boot came into contact with his ribs and he bit down on his groans of pain, he would never give them the satisfaction. Blow after blow rained down on him, Morris kicking him with all he got and Oscar pummelling him with his own crutch.  
Then he felt it, a fat raindrop fell onto Crutchie’s face, mixing with the dirt and blood smeared across his face. Then it started to pour, soaking him through in a few seconds flat. Oscar roughly pulled Crutchie up by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the wall.  
  
“No one calls my brother a lousy little shrimp but me, Andrew.” Oscar growled as he spat in his face. Crutchie flinched at the sound of his real name. But as soon as Oscar has said it he socked Crutchie right on the puss. Sometime before, Oscar had slipped on a pair of brass knuckles. Crutchie’s face was now bleeding started to turn a lovely shade of purple.  
  
“The name’s Crutchie.” he spat before blacking out, the freezing rain soaked through his clothes and to the bone.  
  
\----------------------------------------  
  
Crutchie was vaguely aware that he was being roughly shaken awake.  
“Crutchie? C’mon, wake up.” It was Jack. Crutchie’s head was pounding and he lifted a hand to his face, it came away covered in red blood which if anything made him even more nauseous.  
  
“Hey Crutch, Crutchie, look at me.” Jack held his face in his hands, softly dabbing at the blood on Crutchie’s face with the red bandana that he always had around his neck, now stained with dark red blood. Crutchie attempted a weak smile.  
  
“Heya Jack.” He croaked, his eyes as bright as ever.  
  
“What the hell happened? We got real worried.” The light in Crutchie’s eyes flickered for a second. He propped himself up against the wall and looked around but his crutch was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, he rested his head against the rough bricks; of course they had taken his crutch.  
  
“Crutchie?” Jack sounded worried  
  
“It was the Delancy brothers.” Jack looked absolutely livid.  
  
“Oh I’ll soak ‘em so bad they won’t be able to walk for a week. They think they can jus-“ Crutchie put a hand on Jack shoulder, cutting him off and pulling him out of his rage.  
  
“Jack, it’s fine. It really doesn’t hurt that bad, plus it’s getting late.” The sky was slowly getting darker and the last bit of sun was just peeking over the buildings, but the rain wasn’t letting up.  
  
“Yeah, you’re right.” Jack slipped am arm around Crutchie, trying hard not to hurt him any further. He could feel the smaller boy shivering like crazy, he had no idea how long he’d been lying in the rain, he was soaked through. His wet hair falling into his face.  
  
“I’m not going to break, Jack.” Crutchie said brushing his wet hair out of his face before putting an arm around Jack’s shoulders and standing up. They stood there for a second, Crutchie’s leg wobbling dangerously underneath him and his shoulders violently shaking from the cold.  
  
“Crutchie?” Jack sounded concerned but Crutchie didn’t reply, he just started walking, he didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want Jack pitying him anymore than he already did. Jack understood, he started yammering on about something but didn’t really matter. Crutchie leant his head against the taller boy’s shoulder. Jack’s voice was calming, and soon enough they were coming up on the lodging house. Crutchie could see the faint outlines of a few of the boys waiting outside. The rain had slowed to a drizzle as they got closer he could see Race, Mush, and Specs leaning against the house.  
  
“Woah Crutchie. What happened?” Said Race, putting a hand on his shoulder. Crutchie shrugged it off and waited for Jack to rely for him.  
  
“Delancy brothers.” Jack whispered, keeping his voice low so he didn't wake the other boys. Crutchie, looked down as he walked past the three boys, he could see raindrops sparkling under the lamplight in the Spec’s golden hair. Crutchie hated this about as much as Specs hated seeing him like this. Jack led Crutchie silently over to his bed and lowered him down, he sat with him for a second.  
  
“You sure you’re alright Crutch?” He said, his voice low enough to only be heard by Crutchie.  
  
“I’m always fine, Jack.” Crutchie smiled still as happy as ever, despite the purple bruises covering his face.  
  
“Yeah, I know kid.” He replied, ruffling Crutchie’s hair a half-hearted smile.


	2. Chapter 2: A day off

For once Crutchie awoke to the sun streaming through the window. He sat up with a start immediately regretting it as pain ripped through him. He felt a strong but gentle hand pushed him back down. 

"You're meant to be resting." Came a voice from above. Crutchie could make out the slender figure of Specs through his swollen eye. 

"I gotta... the morning pape-" He tried to get up again, only to the realisation that Specs was holding him down.

"You're not selling like this." Specs said, his hand still ghosting over Crutchie's shoulder as he sat next to him on the bed. Crutchie went to argue but was cut off by Specs. "Jack, Race, Mush, and I are covering for you alright? Ya just need to stay in bed, rest that leg of yours. Jack fixed you up pretty good last night, you'll be selling again in a few days." Crutchie looked down, he hated that he was putting out his friends. 

"Thanks, It... it really means a lot." He muttered, looking down at his hands. 

"Hey, don't look like that." 

"Like what?" 

"Like you're at a funeral." Specs observed, Crutchie looked up at him with big eyes, making him look a bit like an adorable racoon. "What's the matter?"

"What... no, I just." Crutchie looked down again. A call came from outside the lodging house. Specs looked over his shoulder, shouting a reply to Race. He looked back at Crutchie, his piercing blue eyes lazily scanning the boy. His body covered in dark purple bruises. 

"This isn't over Morris, but you stay in bed or so help me I will stay here all day and sit on you so you don't get up." That made Crutchie laugh; it was a brief joyful noise followed by a sharp intake of breath. There were not many things he could do without hurting himself in some way. A ghost of worry passed over Specs’ face, but he was pulled out of it as Race called again from outside.

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright?" He sounded slightly sceptical. Crutchie flashed one of his bright smiles.

"Yeah, of course I am Specs, you know me." That was all Specs needed, after a second he turned on his heel and walked out the door.   
Specs jogged to catch up with Race and Romeo, falling into step beside them, lost in thought. It was only a few minutes later he realised that Race was staring at him.

“What?” He asked, confused as to why the boy was staring. Race looked slightly taken aback.

“You’re really out of it today. I just asked you what you were thinkin’ about.”

“Oh,” Specs didn’t even recall hearing the question. “Nothing really.” Race wasn’t convinced. 

 

“Crutchie’s going to be alright you know, he’s been through worse before.” Specs glanced at Race before turning his gaze to the ground, a slight flush of pink spreading across his cheeks. Race lightly slapped Romeo on the shoulder seeing Specs' reaction, Romeo shrugged it off in a huff. 

“I know he is,” Specs replied, lining up to get his papes. “He just worries me alright.” 

“We know Specs, that’s why you’re our honorary Mum friend.” He replied, nudging Romeo, who brushed him off and went to get his papers. Race made a face before turning back to Specs. 

“What’s his problem?” Specs shrugged and took his papes, nodding politely at Weasel as he walked by. 

“You going to Sheepshead?” Specs asked, glancing at the headline. 

“Yep, guess I’ll be seein’ you later?” Race replied. Specs nodded in return. Turning on his heel to his newest selling spot. It was a surprisingly busy corner near an alleyway that had quite a constant flow of traffic. The headline wasn’t actually too bad; Specs had drifted through the day not having to do much in the way of faking maladies. His mind was preoccupied; constantly going back to the morning, the way the light hit Crutchie’s face just made him wish that he could wake every morning to see that face, but also at how easily he’s been able to hold the boy down. He could practically feel the boy shaking with effort as he tried to sit up, it made his blood run cold and the sickening purple yellow bruises that decorated his face just seemed to get worse now that he had seen them in the morning light. Specs snapped out of his thought just long enough to start coughing and hobbling over to an old lady, after getting her to buy his last few papes he started making his way back to the lodging house. Romeo joined him on the way back, who was quite a bit less irritable than he was earlier in the morning. By the time they got back there was a little less than half the newsies all spread across the lodging house, the rest had decided to go to Tibby’s to celebrate the end of the week. Specs walked over to Crutchie’s bed, planting himself onto the bed beside him.

“How ya feeling?” Specs asked, placing his head in his hands and balancing his elbows on his knees. Crutchie smiled and it brightened the whole room.

“Good as new.” The bruises on his face were starting to back to a dull blue and when he smiled it pulled at a cut on his lip but all Specs could think about in that moment was leaning forward and kissing that adorable boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, comment, kudos, you know the drill. Someone talk to me, I have to life nor friends :D


	3. Jealous

Specs didn’t know how long he had been sitting on the bed opposite Crutchie but the boy was soon asleep, Specs watched his chest rise and fall peacefully despite the purpling bruises that had bloomed on his face. He was drawn to Crutchie’s lips, his perfect lips. The cut on his lip had almost disappeared from the day before and his lips looked perfect and untouched, despite the horrific bruising everywhere else. Before he knew it he was leaning forward, his hand softly caressing Crutchie’s face, tilting it towards his. The boy’s face felt slightly feverish, giving his cheeks a pink tinge. 

The door swung open and Jack bounded into the room, his hair sticking to his face from all the sweat. Crutchie’s eyes opened wide as the door slammed against the wall. Specs jolted back, pulling his face away from Crutchie’s as Jack’s face fell from a look of excitement to pure rage. Jack didn’t get angry that often but when he did it was like the gates of hell had opened up and Specs could practically see the fire and hatred in his eyes. 

Specs jumped off of the bed and started to back out of the room but before he could make it out Jack grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him against the wall. Crutchie had propped himself up on his elbows. 

“Jack? Wha-“ Crutchie exclaimed. Jack ignored him and pushed the door open and pulled Specs into the next room. 

“Jack, what are you doing?” Specs said breathlessly as Jack pinned him against the wall, a sharp piece of wood digging into his back. Jack’s eyes were dark with anger. 

“You don’t touch him. Ya hear me?” Jack snarled, pushing Specs against the wall. He wriggled out of Jack’s grasp, catching his breath. 

“Jack, I’m sorry I didn’t realise that you two were…“ The unspoken words hung in the air: A couple. Jack looked like someone had slapped him the in face. 

“No, what? No, we’re not.” Jack stuttered over his words, stepping back. Specs had never seen their fearless leader so shook up, “He’s not well. Can’t you see that? It’s wrong to be taking advantage of him, when he’s like that.” Jack’s face was a mixture of hatred and disgust.  
“Jack, I’m sorr-”

“Just go.”

Jack watched as Specs turned and headed out. He rested his head in his hands and ruffled his hair, catching his breath. Specs couldn’t have thought the he and Crutchie were together, right? They had tried so hard to keep it under wraps, all the hiding in alleys. They made sure that they never held hands or were intimate in front of the rest of the boys. Specs wouldn’t tell anyone, would he? Who knows what they would do with that information, that Jack Kelly the leader of the Manhattan newsies was a faggot. Jack didn’t even want to think about what would happen if Brooklyn got wind of it. Jack was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear the light thump of a crutch on the wooden floor. 

“Jack? Are you alright?” Jack looked up to see Crutchie’s worried face peering up at him. He pressed his lips to the boys’ cheek, wiping the worried look off his face. 

“I’m alright. Did he try do anything to you?” Jack’s faced changed suddenly remembering the incident. Crutchie chuckled slightly.

“Calm down Jack, he just tried to kiss me that’s all.” Crutchie replied. Jack suddenly moved into action and scooped Crutchie up, the smaller boy let out and indignant squeak. 

“You shouldn’t be out of bed.” Jack mumbled, his face pressed against Crutchie’s shoulder. Crutchie had wrapped his arms around Jack in a desperate attempt not to fall and was clinging to him. 

“Jaack!” Crutchie cried, “I told you not to do that! I can walk on my own.” Jack softly put him back down onto his bed. 

“You don’t get to make that decision when you’re unwell.” Jack stated, sitting on the bed parallel to Crutchie’s. Crutchie rearranged himself on the bed, propping the pillows up and sitting upright. Jack stared at the ground, losing himself in his thoughts again.

“Jack?” Crutchie said softly, pulling him out of his thought. The boy gestured to the spare space of bed beside him and Jack willingly moved and sat next to him. The smaller boy smiled softly and rested his head on Jack’s shoulder. 

“What’s wrong?” Crutchie asked in a soft voice, holding Jack’s hand so he couldn’t bite his nails like he always did when he was stressed out. 

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Jack smiled half-heartedly and kissed Crutchie’s hand. Crutchie didn’t look convinced. 

“C’mon, tell me. I know it’s eating at you.” Jack didn’t look at Crutchie. 

“I think Specs knows about us.” He admitted, after a moment of hesitation. “I told him we weren’t, but I don’t think he believed me.” Crutchie looked confused.

“Yeah, and?” 

“Crutch, this could ruin me if anyone gets wind that Jack Kelly is a queer things could get bad, I wouldn’t be able to keep you safe. What if Brooklyn hea-” Crutchie squeezed Jack’s hand comfortingly. 

“Do you really think Specs would do that?” Crutchie said softly, trying to calm Jack down. 

“Yeah, okay that’s true. Poor kid’s a queer too, should probably make sure he’s keeping hidden, specially with them Delancey brothers going out on queer bashings every other day” Jack relaxed against the back of the bed. Crutchie’s head was resting against his chest. 

“Hey, why are you back so early? Aren’t all the boys at Jacobi’s?” Crutchie questioned, twisting his head to look at Jack. But the taller boy just smiled down at him. 

“And miss all this time with you? Hell no.” Jack placed a tender kiss on the top of Crutchie’s head, his wavy locks tickling his lips. Blush crept across Crutchie’s face, rendering Jack helpless. Soft rays of light were streaming through a window and illuminated Crutchie’s face. He looked so young and full of joy; Jack was just itching for a piece of charcoal or anything to keep this moment forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my bestie who edited this chapter and pretty much everything I write. Comment because I'm lonely and I have no friends to talk to


	4. Jack Kelly, Mother Hen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay but NoDayButTodayToDefyGravity seriously guessed my plot line...they're actually magical
> 
> Enjoyyyyyyyy

The afternoon passed too quickly. The rest of the boys were out for quite a while, there had been some difficult headlines and they were glad for a reason to celebrate. As soon as Jack heard the door slam open he basically flew from Crutchie’s bed, settling on the one beside it. Flattening his hair and making sure everything looked normal and there was nothing suspicious. A smirk tugged on the side of Crutchie’s lips, amused by Jack’s paranoid actions.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Kelly” Crutchie teased as the colour slowly returned to Jack’s face. Jack pulled a face as Mush and Blink walked into the room, followed by the rest of the newsies. There was a chorus of greetings as everyone settled down into their usual spots. Jack glanced around the room.

“Where’s Race?” Jack asked, although he already knew the answer.

“Brooklyn” Skittery replied. Jack just nodded and lay down on his bed, pulling his hat over his eyes. 

“Wait.” Jack sat up glancing around the room. “Where’s Specs.” It was weird for the boy to be late. The rest of the boys looked around realising that Specs wasn’t with them.   
“Uh, we haven’t seen him.” Buttons admitted avoiding Jack’s eyes. 

“Yeah, we thought he was here or something. ” Added Elmer. Jack gave them all a withering glare. 

“Are you telling me that no one has seen him since he finished sellin’?” Jack snapped. The boys looked around at each other, no one wanting to tell Jack that. Crutchie moved over to Jack’s side, trying not to wince at the pain. 

“Well, we saw him. Did he say where he was going?” Crutchie asked, desperately wishing he could hold Jack and tell him it was going to be all right. 

“He said he was going to Jacobi’s” Crutchie could see Jack slowly spinning out, thinking of all the things that could’ve gone wrong. 

“Hey, Jack. C’mon nothing that bad could’ve happened to him. Crutchie placed a gentle hand on his shoulder but Jack shrugged it off and stood up, facing away from the rest of the boys giving Crutchie a warning look. Any sort of touching was off limits in front of the Newsies even though Crutchie used to do it all the time before they were together but now Jack was just so damn paranoid that they would get caught. Running his fingers through his hair Jack went through all the different places Specs could be, nothing made any sense. Someone tapped his back and he spun around. It was Romeo. 

“Jack, if ya want I could go lookin’ for him. He probably just wants a bit of space it won’t do any good to send out a huge search party.” Romeo was one of the smaller newsies height wise but he could hold his own. Jack thought about it for a second and nodded. 

“Yeah, that would be good Romeo. But if he’s in trouble come back here and get me. We don’t need anymore broken bones.” Romeo nodded in agreement and walked out the door. Jack sat back down on his bed, with his head in his hands. Crutchie couldn’t stand it anymore, shuffling closer to Jack.

“I’m kinda sick of being cooped up in here. Do you think we could go up to the roof?” Crutchie asked, hoping that would be able to clear his head. Jack nodded and they made their way up to the roof. It was slowly getting colder and there was a nip in the air. Jack and Crutchie lay on the old mattress, under the blanket they had brought up. Jack propped himself up on his elbow and started playing with Crutchie’s hair absentmindedly twirling his fingers through the boys soft locks. Crutchie turned to look at him with the sweetest smile that made Jack melt. Leaning down Jack pressed his lips against Crutchie’s feeling the heat rising from the boy’s face, obviously blushing. Crutchie wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck, pulling Jack closer. Jack smiled into the kiss; Crutchie was adorable when he took charge. Jack, feeling mischievous wrapped an arm around Crutchie’s waist and pulled him against himself. The smaller boy let out a surprised squeak, muffled by Jack’s lips on his own. Jack pulled away from the kiss, arm still around Crutchie. He gazed at him adoringly. 

“You’re beautiful, ya know that?” Jack murmured, nuzzling Crutchie’s neck. Crutchie squirmed slightly, Jack’s hair tickling his neck. 

“Yeah, right.” He scoffed. Jack was taken aback, propping himself up on his elbow. He stared into Crutchie’s eyes hoping to see that he was joking. 

“Crutch, c’mon, you’re gorgeous.” Jack beseeched, unable to understand how Crutchie couldn’t see that. Crutchie backed away slightly. 

“There’s nothing beautiful about me, okay. Just a bum leg and a face no one could love.” Crutchie avoided Jacks looks of bewilderment. 

“Hey… hey!” Crutchie looked at him. “You are absolutely stunning, I don’t care that you got a bum leg, and as for your face,” Jack’s fingers ghosted over Crutchie’s freckles, making him shiver. “I love it, and I love you.” Jack kissed Crutchie’s forehead pulling him into a tight embrace, Crutchie’s head resting on his chest. “ And don’t you ever forget that.” Crutchie snuggled into Jack, glad for the warmth. 

“I love you too, Jack.” Crutchie mumbled into Jack’s chest. Jack smiled and looked at him, pressing a soft kiss into his hair. 

“I know.” Crutchie was soon asleep, lying peacefully on Jack but Jack couldn’t sleep. Specs had been missing for quite a while and Romeo wasn’t yet back. Jack’s head was spinning trying to work out what had happened when he heard footsteps on the pavestones below. Slipping out of Crutchie’s reach making sure he didn’t wake the poor boy up he needed to sleep, the pale moonlight made the bruises on his face look even worse. Walking to the edge of the roof Jack looked down and saw the outline of two figures, the taller one leaning on the other.

“Romeo?” Jack called out in a hushed tone. His heart filled with hope. The shadow looked up. 

“Hey Jack,” Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Jack heard a slurred ‘heeeey’ from the boy next to Romeo who sounded a lot like Specs. 

“Is everything good?” Jack asked hoping that he wouldn’t be needed to go and tend to more injuries.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Go back to sleep.” Romeo replied, Jack grunted thanks and turned back around crawling back into the bed, if it could be called that. Crutchie rolled over, wrapping his arms around Jack again. 

“Is Specs alright?” Crutchie muttered, still half asleep. Jack stroked his hair trying to lull him back to sleep.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine.” Jack reassured him. “Now, you gotta get some sleep.” Crutchie cuddled up against Jack. 

“Can you sing the song?” Crutchie asked softly. Jack smiled down at him.

“Of course. Santa Fe?” 

“Yeah,” Crutchie closed his eyes and muttered sleepily. “That one.” Jack hugged Crutchie tight and started singing, his voice soft. 

“Close your eyes...  
Come with me,   
Where it's clean and green and pretty.   
And they went and made a city outta clay.”   
Crutchie was soon asleep and Jack was finally peaceful, he looked up into the night and for once he wasn’t wondering if he would ever get to Santa Fe. Just as long as he had Crutchie everything was going to be all right.  
“Why, the minute that ya get there,   
Folks'll walk right up and say,  
Welcome home, son, welcome home to Santa Fe"

Maybe this was his Santa Fe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh hoped you liked it  
> Should be updating more often now!


	5. Maybe that wasn't the best idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it :)

The streets were dark and there was no one to be seen.  
Romeo pulled his jacket tightly around himself, trying to keep warm despite the fact that there were probably more holes in his coat than there was fabric. He walked down the empty alleyways hoping to find any trace of where Specs could be.  
The night’s silence was broken by a sharp cry piercing the air. Romeo broke into a run, following the noise. Skidding around the corner he saw two large shadows hunched over a smaller figure. Romeo walked close enough to see that it was Specs on the ground, curled in on himself. He let out a shout and the two boys turned towards him.  
The Delancey brothers, of course it was.  
He barely saw the two boys flash matching grins before he turned on his heel and ran the thunderous sound of boots on stone echoing in his ears. Romeo swung around the corner; the rough stone grazing his hand and made a sharp turn down the narrow alley. He might been small but he fast as hell. He crouched in the darkness all he could hear was the pounding of his heart.  
The moment seemed to go on forever, he could hear the loud scraping of boots on the paving stones until there was a string of curses and everything was silent again. Romeo relaxed against the cold stone catching his breath and willing his heart to stop beating so fast. 

Specs pulled himself up against the wall, his head spinning. The stomping of the boy’s boots had disappeared, and so had his glasses.  
He was basically useless without his glasses. Specs froze as the sound of footsteps returned; he could just make out a dark shadow at the end of the alley. He hurriedly started to scramble in the other direction before he felt a firm hand  
on his shoulder.  
Specs flinched and attempted to get away trying to dislodge the hand from his shoulder. 

“Hey, calm down. It’s just me.” Romeo soothed loosening his grip. Specs turned to look at him, unable to make out a definite face but Specs would know that voice anywhere.

“Romeo?” Specs breathed a sigh of relief. Romeo grinned a lopsided smile.

“The one and only.” He wrapped his arms around Specs, helping him stand. Specs leaned heavily on Romeo’s shoulder. “You alright?” Romeo looked at the purple bruises starting to appear on the boy’s face.

“I’m fineee, I can’t see anything though.” Specs admitted. Unsure where to look and deciding that looking at the ground made him feel less dizzy.

“Right. Don’t go anywhere I’ll find your glasses.” Romeo replied, making sure Specs could use the wall as support. 

“You’re my knight in shinin’ armour, Romeo.” Specs said, smiling in his general direction. 

“Anytime,” Romeo replied with a grin, looking for the glint of glass in the moonlight. 

“Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Specs dramatically recited. Romeo glanced over and chuckled.

“Specs, are you drunk?” He asked accusingly. Specs was taken aback.

“How dare you say that?” Specs replied, tripping over himself in an effort to walk towards Romeo; who was silently laughing to himself.

“How did you get into this mess anyway?” he asked, turning to look at Specs’ reaction.

“It’s stupid it doesn’t matter.” Specs answered, “Have you found them?” He asked, changing the subject. Romeo smirked.

“Maybe. It depends if you answer my question or not.” Specs hesitated for a second before giving in, deciding that being able to see was more important than maintaining his pride.

“Fine, I went for a walk to clear my head, found some dodgy back alley booze and that when I ran into the Delancey brothers and I don’t know, I think I was angry ‘bout what they did to Crutchie so I said a few things that I’m not exactly proud of and they didn’t particularly like that. So here we are.” 

There was a silence. 

“Did you find my glasses?” Romeo looked over at him.

“Not yet. It takes some balls to stand up to them Delancey brothers.” He admitted, holding Specs’ glasses in his hand. 

“It was mostly just stupidity, and impaired judgement” He replied. Romeo shook his head in disagreement.

“I think it’s pretty brave.” Romeo declared, he moved towards Specs. “Found ‘em.” Specs smiled widely.

“You really are my knight is shining armour.” Romeo drew closer. Specs sobered up almost instantly. He rose onto his toes; there was a hushed voice in his ear. He could feel Romeo’s breath warm on his neck; it sent a shiver up his spine.

“If I’m your knight in shining armour, would you be my prince?” Specs barely had time to process how close Romeo was before he felt his soft lips pressed against his own. Romeo’s body was warm, against him and he could feel his soft dark hair against his cheek, but it was gone to soon. As soon as it had started, Romeo had backed away. 

“You hate me.” Romeo stated.

“What?” Specs could see the figure of Romeo a few feet in front of him, the boy had somehow folded into himself and he looked so much smaller than usual. Specs just wanted to hold him and tell him that everything’s okay.

“You hate me. I’m sorry. Can we just forget that ever happened?” Specs’ heart sank. 

“…We don’t have to.” Specs murmured. It was Romeo’s turn to be confused this time. 

“What?” He couldn’t believe he was actually hearing this.

“I mean, we don’t have to forget about it if you don’t want to.” Specs spoke to the ground, not capable of looking Romeo in the eyes even considering his horrible eyesight. 

He felt something cold being pushed into his hand, he quickly put his glasses on and Romeo came into clear view he could see the hope blooming on his face. Specs took Romeo’s hand, pulling him slightly closer. Specs placed a brief kiss on Romeo’s lips, blush creeping across his freckled cheeks. 

“I like you Romeo.” 

“I like you too Specs.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a good day :D 
> 
> (Shoutout to Ostrich for inspiring me to keep this going)


	6. Sixty cents a hundred

The sun slowly rose over the streets of New York City, bathing it in a soft orange glow. Crutchie stood at the edge of the lodging house roof, gazing at the city. He wished he had Jack’s artistic talent, or at least some way to save a picture of this view forever. Crutchie turned to look at him. Jack’s chest rose softly, his hair almost glowing in the light. Crutchie slowly made his way to the unsteady ladder at the edge of the roof. His leg had been feeling worse than usual, a sharp pain spreading through his leg as he walked. Crutchie bit his lip as he slowly sat on the edge of the roof, his crutch tucked under his arm. 

“Crutchie?” Came a quiet voice. Jack was propped up on his elbows, his eyes barely open. 

“Go back to sleep, Jack.” Crutchie soothed.

“What are you doing? The bell ain’t even rung yet. Get back to bed.” Jack mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Crutchie looked down at his feet.

“I wanna beat the other fellas to the streets, I don’t want anyone to see I ain’t been walking so good.” He muttered, the words were like a knife in Jack’s chest. He got up and shuffled over, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Do ya know how many guys fake a limp for sympathy? That bum leg of yours is a goldmine.” Jack claimed, as Crutchie shrugged off his hand.

“Someone gets the idea that I can’t make it on my own they’ll lock me up in the refuge, for good!” Jack opened his mouth to reply but Crutchie cut him off. “Be a pal, Jack, help me down.” Crutchie placed his foot on the metal rung of the ladder, slowly lowering himself down. Suddenly his foot slipped off the ladder, slick with melting frost. He let out a yell, his hands hurriedly clutching at anything he could. He felt strong arms wrap around him and pull him back onto the roof. Crutchie wrapped his arms around Jack; he could hear Jack’s heart beating overtime in his chest. Jack clutched onto him tightly, afraid to let go. Crutchie rested on his chest closing his eyes in shock.

“Don’t you ever do that again.” Jack said breathlessly, resting his head on Crutchie’s. “You almost gave me a heart attack.” Crutchie tilted Jack’s head down and pressed a kiss to his lips. 

“I’ll come back to bed next time.” Crutchie reassured him, softly stroking Jack’s hair.

“Good.” 

___________________________________

The boys made their way to the distribution centre. Specs was sporting a black eye that was a pleasant shade of purple. They stood crowded around, waiting for the headline. Crutchie was leaning against Jack, trying to get a moment more of sleep. 

“A new kid ey?” Came a voice from the back of the pack. Jack snapped to attention, gently nudging Crutchie who groaned slightly but started leaning on Blink instead. Jack made his way to the back of the group and noticed a dark haired boy face to face with Morris Delancey. 

“C’mon Morris, nothing concerns you here.” Jack commanded, the boy behind Morris was getting paler by the second. 

“You ain’t the boss of me, Kelly.” Morris spat, he stepped to the side and Jack could see a little kid glaring angrily up at Morris. 

“Pick on someone your own size for once.” Jack snarled. He shoved Morris with his shoulder and stood in front of the two boys. Morris spat at Jack’s feet and turned to find his brother. Jack turned to the two boys. 

“You two okay?” Jack asked placing a hand on the older boy’s arm who promptly shrugged it off and pulled the younger boy closer to him. 

“We’re fine. Thank you.” He replied, the colour returning to his face. Jack turned his attention to the younger boy; he crouched in front of him. 

“What’s your name kid?” Jack asked. The boy replied with the widest grin.

“I’m Les, and this is my brother Davey. He’s older.” Jack looked between the two boys, Les with his childlike grin and Davey’s clearly uncomfortable expression.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Jack chuckled; he turned his attention back to Les. “If you and your brother need anything we’re all here for you, just stay away from them Delancey brothers.” Les looked up at Jack with glee. He was going to like this kid he just knew it. Jack looked up as the boys behind him started getting louder. He pushed through the wall of shoulders and saw the Delancey brothers and a few of his boys in the centre. He just couldn’t catch a break today. 

“You want some of that too ya lousy crip?!” Growled Oscar as he shoved Crutchie to the ground. Jack sprang into action; he yanked the crutch from Oscar’s hands slamming the end of it into both his and his brother’s shins. 

“Beat it.” Jack snapped, wrapping his arm Crutchie to hold him up. The two boys limped away muttering curses under their breath. Jack handed the crutch back, turning to the boy. 

“You okay?” Jack asked in a hushed voice. Crutchie beamed a tired smile.

“I’m dandy.” He replied, he grimaced as soon as Jack looked away. The two boys looked up as a loud roar came from the crowd around them. The headline was up.

PRICE FOR PAPERS 60c A HUNDRED 

There was outrage. Everywhere there were newsboys yelling. Crutchie turned to Jack.

“They can’t do that! Can they?” His face was a mixture of anger and confusion. These boys were barely making a living as it was let alone have to pay more for their papes. 

“Keep out of trouble.” Jack muttered absent-mindedly, making his way through the crowd, towards the distribution desk. Jack slammed his money down on the table, a scowl plastered on his face.

“100 papes Weasel.” Jack growled. Wiesel grinned, pushing the money back towards the boy. 

“That’ll be 60 cents for 100 papes.” He chuckled. 

“That ain’t fair! Half these kids are already sleeping on the streets!” Jack shouted, backed by a roar of agreement from the boys behind him. Wiesel lowered his voice, the smirk leaving his face. The novelty of his power was wearing off. 

“Life ain’t fair kid, now pay for your papes or move aside and let someone through that will.” He scowled. Jack moved the grab Weasel’s tie through the grate but he felt a strong pair of arms pulling him. He heard Race’s voice in his ear. 

“He ain’t worth it Cowboy.” Jack shook Race off, walking down the side of the building. Jack sat down with his head in his hands, too many thoughts going through his head. Jack felt a leg rest against his own; he looked up to see the new boy sitting beside him. David was looking down at his hands, awkwardly playing with a coin.

“I mean you’re right, none of this is fair.” He said, breaking the silence. Jack looked at the boy. 

“Yeah, but what the hell are we gonna do about it? Look if you’re just here to complain, at least do it silently.” Jack exhaled, his shoulders drooping. He was so tired. The other boy looked at Jack.

“We could always strike.” He suggested. Jack looked at him.

“What did you say your name was kid?” Jack asked, the colour finally coming back into his face. 

“Uh, David.” He stuttered slightly surprised by Jack’s sudden interest. Jack’s eyes lit up and he grabbed David’s wrist pulling him over to the other boys. Race got a glimpse of Jack trying to talk and cupped his hands, yelling out into the crowd. 

“Everybody! Shut up! Listen to Cowboy.” Jack patted Race on the shoulder in appreciation. 

“Alright everyone, Davey here has had a wonderful idea.” Jack shouted, ruffling David’s hair. “It ain’t right that they can just change the price of the paper on us, and we ain’t gonna take it!” Race looked at Jack, dumbfounded. 

“Well what the hell else are we gonna do?” He asked confusedly. 

“We’re gonna strike!” The crowd was silent but then a fast moving thing burst from the crowd, out to the front. It was Davey’s little brother. 

“STRIKE!” He yelled, waving a wooden sword in the air. David quickly scooped up his brother, giving him a stern talking to. But the crowd was starting to make some noise but then a steady chant started to emerge. 

“Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!” Jack grinned, putting an arm around Davey. Crutchie’s heart swelled with pride as he made his way to the front of the crowd and saw his Jack finally happy again. He just wished that he could’ve shared it with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed I know it's been forever since I've uploaded but here you go!
> 
> Commet!  
> Like!  
> Love me!  
> Happy new year guys


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